Germany has faced a new wave of cyberthreats. Apple has sent notifications to Bundestag members and members of the federal government about the possible installation of spyware on their iPhones.
Digital Minister Carsten Wildberger confirmed this on ARD. According to him, "certain devices may have been compromised" with the help of so-called mercenary spyware — commercial spyware.
The warnings began arriving on 29 October. The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) promptly sent letters to everyone affected and advised treating the devices as potentially hacked as a precaution.
Such notifications from Apple do not confirm that an attack succeeded, but they do indicate a targeted attempt. Spyware of this type is capable of gaining access to messages, calls, contacts, calendar and location data.
The German government has taken the incident seriously. A spokesman for the chancellor said that the authorities are working on an investigation and on support for those affected. Exactly how many politicians received the warnings has not yet been specified.
Interestingly, similar notifications were also received by some Berlin companies not connected to politics. Who is behind these attacks remains an open question.
Apple has previously noted that mercenary spyware is harder to detect, but most users do not become its targets. The BSI continues to monitor the situation and update its protection recommendations.
